There was sadness and a sense of what might have been, but tears were noticeably absent as the UAE quietly slipped out of the Beach Soccer World Cup following a spirited 3-1 defeat to Senegal on Tuesday night.
Mohammed Bashir's side knew they had to win to progress through Group C and into the quarter-finals for the first time in the country's history. They started with intent as captain Waleed Mohammed's overhead kick forced a smart save inside 10 seconds and Ali Karim struck the post minutes later. Yet despite enjoying close to 70 per cent possession in blustery conditions and rattling the upright a further two times, they never quite managed to sneak ahead.
"In this sport, the first team to score tends to win," Bader Hareb, head of the UAE delegation, told The National on the sidelines of the Los Pynandi World Cup Stadium in Asuncion. "We can have all the possession in the world, but if we don't score it is not important. I am happy with the performance, but obviously not with the result. We lost our discipline a little near the end, but on another day we would have won."
Indeed, despite appearing in control for much of the first two periods, they came undone when midfielder Hesham Muntaser missed a volley from a quick corner and Mamadou Sylla snuck in to fire the loose ball from distance past the outstretched Mohammed Al Jasmi. It was particularly hard on the Emirati goalkeeper, who had been excellent once more before going behind.
“We played well, but the ball just wouldn’t go in the net for us,” Al Jasmi said. “We had lots of possession and hit the post three or four times, so I think it is fair to say we did not have luck on our side. If one of those shots goes in, probably we win.”
As Bashir urged his players to push forward in search of an equaliser, Senegalese defender Ninou Diatty found himself in space from a throw-in and doubled the African champions’ lead with a fizzing volley that bounced wickedly in front of Al Jasmi. Two minutes later, Raoul Mendy — who plays his club football in Oman with Mirbat SC — showed determination to hold off two Emirati defenders before clipping a chipped shot into the goal.
“We knew it would be a hard game,” said Senegalese captain Al Seyne Ndiaye. “The UAE had a lot of the ball, but we never felt under too much pressure and knew we would get chances. They hit the post a few times, yes, but we did not panic and fortunately when our chances came we took them. Now we look forward to the quarter-finals.”
Veteran Ali Karim had pulled one back for the Emirates with six minutes to go, but even before Al Jasmi had to be replaced with a knee injury, there was a sense it was not the UAE’s day. As the referee blew for full time, there was no immediate outpouring of emotion: Captain Mohammed congratulated his opponents while substitute goalkeeper Humaid Jamal silently removed his gloves and headed down the tunnel.
“We are all disappointed, of course,” said Bashir, who refused to be drawn on his future at the helm. “But I think we were the better team for much of the game. Senegal waited and punished us at the end and if you don’t score when you are on top, it is always difficult to win games. We needed to be better in front of goal.”
A narrow defeat on the back of Sunday's historical victory over two-time champions Russia may be enough to ignore the opening day blip against debutants Belarus and ensure Bashir is afforded one more crack at leading his country on the global stage in 2021. Yet as he left the stadium on Tuesday night, he was visibly downcast, walking past his colleagues with his head down as they vehemently questioned Fifa officials over the yellow card defender Ahmed Beshr was shown for dissent.
The UAE players will likely have some familiar faces on their flight back to the Gulf after Oman were also eliminated, losing 3-1 to two-time world champions Portugal. “We lose, but we fought until the end against a very good and experienced team,” said Omani coach Talib Al Thanawi. “I am happy with our campaign. From a very difficult group, we leave with our heads held high.”
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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CREW
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Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The years Ramadan fell in May
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
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Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize